The ABCs of the Chinese Super League: Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao FC

The much-discussed, though generally uncharted, Chinese Super League will take off at around the end of February and the beginning of March.The alien league caused nothing short of a gold rush throughout the January transfer window. To many it epitomises everything going wrong in the world of football, but who are the clubs wreaking all that havoc?

For anyone trying to find their way into the CSL, there is no way around the seemingly invincible title defenders, Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao FC.

“Be the best forever”

The self-proclaimed most successful and most influential football club in Asia are six-times consecutive CSL champions and double Asian Champions League winners. They managed to dominate more than half a decennia of Chinese soccer by continuously drawing foreign know-how as well as relying on the cream of homegrown talent.

Newly promoted in 2011 they grabbed the CSL title for the first time in a Kaiserslautern-style raid. Reinvigorated by the Chinese real-estate giant Evergrande Group, they vowed to “revive Chinese football and to cultivate football stars”.

To build on their success and “be the best forever”, the club attracted Italian Marcello Lippi, now the national manager for China, and kick-started a minor brain drain of coaching intelligence to Asia, with managers such as Sven-Goran Eriksson following his lead.

As the know-how besides the pitch went, so did the talent on it. Brazilian and Argentinian idols like Muriqui, Elkeson, and Dario Conca traded the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A for the Chinese Super League.

Guangzhou remained true to their mission and appointed former FIFA player of the year Fabio Cannavaro to take over from his former national manager. However, Cannavaro’s first coaching stint was cut surprisingly short as former Brazil and Portugal manager Luiz Felipe Scolari took over the wheel mid-season 2015.

Although Cannavaro seems to have bounced back, clinching promotion to the CSL with Tianjin Quanjian last season, Scolari was an immediate hit winning both the CSL and the AFC Champions League during his first season in charge.

Scolari is still holding the reins at Guangzhou for the upcoming season and he counts on his Chinese-Brazilian dressing room to carve the club’s name even deeper into CSL history.

The dressing room

One of his most faithful is Chinese Zheng Zhi, captain for both club and country, and believed to be the best Chinese soccer player in recent years. He was part of the promoted side in 2010 after spells at Charlton Athletic and Celtic FC and makes up the beating heart of the Guangzhou side. He can play practically anywhere but in goal.

His fellow countryman Gao Lin has also been there from the early days. He is the all-time top scorer for the club with a total of 88 goals in all competitions. For his entire career, he has had to fight for his spot with South-American rivals. Nowadays, Brazilians Ricardo Goulart and Alan Carvalho, who both joined the Tigers in 2015 for record-breaking transfer fees, are producing most of the magic up front.

Goulart won the League’s MVP award in 2015 and again in 2016 along with the Golden Boot, finding the mark 19 times. Alan joined from Red Bull Salzburg where he scored nearly 100 times, although, at Guangzhou, he has not yet been able to live up to those standards.

Although those names might still not ring too many bells, midfielder Paulinho who left White Hart Lane in 2015 and striker Jackson Martinez who joined from Atletico Madrid a year later certainly will.

Quiet January

No big names moved to South China during the January transfer window, although soccer A-list celebs like Arda Turan and Pepe were regularly linked. The 30-year-old striker Martinez caused the biggest transfer blip when rumours surfaced he was looking for a way out.

The Colombian failed to really make his mark during his first season in South China and things came to a head when it was reported late January that he was cut from the squad competing in the Asian Champions League later this month.

West Ham and Leicester City appeared interested in the Colombian international and a two-way deal with Islam Slimani was rumoured but ultimately fell through.

The weigh-in

Looking at the club’s head-to-head encounters with the European top, only the FIFA Club World Cup can provide the faintest of ideas. Although the Club World Cup is not particularly popular in Europe, Asia has adopted the tournament as its highest honour in soccer.

The Chinese Tigers ended fourth in both Club World Cup tournaments they took part in. Bayern Munich was too strong in the 2013 semi-final and in 2015 Luis Suarez netted a hat-trick for Barcelona leaving the Chinese champions in shambles again.

The side’s total market value is estimated at £40m, about £25m short of the Premier League’s lowest market valued side, Burnley FC. It is fair to say their quality compared the European top is dubitable at the least.

See, there’s much more to the Chinese Super League than unlimited money. And we hope you now realise why Premier League stars are heading for China, just like this lot will be!

Claudio Bravo

The most obvious name first. This man simply cannot cut the mustard under Pep Guardiola. After City’s 4-0 capitulation at Everton on 15th January, he became the latest object of ridicule on social media. Image Source: Twitter

Sam Byram

With first-team places at a premium, just 399 minutes of league football in 2016/17 is way below the quota Sam Byram needs to become a fully fledged player at the top. Image Source: Twitter

Mamadou Sakho

Sakho’s attitude is dreadful, with even the most ardent Liverpool fans now struggling to believe in him. A change is sorely needed if the Frenchman is ever to regain what little talent he once had. Image Source: Twitter

John Stones

John Stones will never be the “next Bobby Moore” or “next Franz Beckenbauer”. At present, he is looking more like the next Carlton Palmer. Image Source: Twitter

Luke Shaw

It’s not going to happen. Ever. Some things were just not meant to be. Shaw’s only option is a thorough change of air, and he will find Newcastle a step across – rather than a step down. Image Source: Twitter

Granit Xhaka

Xhaka’s playing style is not widely favoured in the Premier League, and a move to China would give him greater license to unleash his wrath. Image Source: Twitter
Source: Twitter

Yohan Cabaye

Cabaye is not a Sam Allardyce player. He will soon be at an optimal age to explore pastures new. Image Source: Twitter

Dimitri Payet

Men like Payet are the worst example for younger players in the Premier League, where loyalty is concerned.
Source: Twitter

Raheem Sterling

On paper, Sterling should be the saviour of his club and country. On grass, he is nothing more than a sprinter, incapable of playing in adverse conditions against a high defensive line. Image Source: Twitter

Theo Walcott

Walcott has enjoyed more good days than bad in 11 years under Wenger. However, he has still fallen well short of his true potential in north London. Image Source: Twitter

Daniel Sturridge

A recent run of just two goals in thirteen Premier League games has cast fresh doubt on the equivalent of the school playground hogger. Image Source: Twitter